Fall Showcase is a hit in Lousiana and MississippiSPPA
The first two stops on the SPPA Fall Showcase this week were big hits with both suppliers and distributors. A fantastic selection of exhibitors, informative speakers and great distributors all combined to make the shows a tremendous success. The third and final stop of the Fall Showcase tour is Sept. 6 in Birmingham, Ala.

Linda McMahan with Bag Makers, MAS, had high praise for the shows. “These are by far the best shows I’ve ever been a part of in Baton Rouge and Jackson,” she said.

Tim Hennessy, with Concepts & Associates and the current president of SPPA, attended the show in Baton Rouge. “SPPA has laid great ground work here,” he commented. “I’ve seen a lot of new faces and everyone is very complimentary of the show and so appreciative that we’re here. The attendance and enthusiasm was more than any of us expected. I hope we can make this an annual event.”
When the Fall Showcase wraps up in Birmingham over 250 distributors will have attended the three-day tour.More

2014 SPPA Board nominationsSPPA
The nomination process is underway for the 2014 SPPA Board of Directors. Any member who is interested in being considered for a spot on the board should contact Dianne Watson, chairperson of the nominating committee, at 205-991-0370 or diannew2000@aol.com.More

Help us name the SPPA tradeshowSPPA
SPPA is moving what has been known as the Spring Showcase to January. With the move will come a new brand for the show (since you can’t have a “Spring” Showcase in January). We need the help of our members to help us re-name and re-brand the show. “Our membership includes some of the most creative minds I know,” said Rosanne Stallworth with Crown Products, co-chair of the tradeshow committee. Send your suggestions for the new name and brand to mark@sunbeltppa.org or post them in our Facebook Group by Oct.1. If your suggestion is used you will win a prize package valued at $500. The package includes a 2014 membership in SPPA, a room at the host hotel during the show, dinner in Birmingham, and reserved VIP parking for the show. In the event that more than one person has the same suggestions, we will draw a winner.More

Notre Dame fixing souvenir cupsESPN
Win one for the spell-checker. Notre Dame has said the "Figthing Irish" souvenir cups will be fixed before the next home game on Sept. 21.
Souvenir soda cups sold by Notre Dame during its game against Temple said "FIGTHING IRISH" on them instead of the team's properly spelled nickname.More

5 reasons 3D printing isn't quite ready for prime timeForbes
If there was any doubt Wall Street is warming up to 3D printing it was extinguished last week when Citi analyst Kenneth Wong initiated coverage of 3D printer manufacturers Stratasys and 3D Systems, at the same time expressing in a client note that he believes the market for 3D printing equipment and services will triple by 2018.More

Sales-tax bill unfair to online retailersAZ Central
In May, the U.S. Senate passed the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act, which would require online retailers to collect sales taxes for their customers’ state and local governments. While the bill still faces an uphill battle in the House, many brick-and-mortar retailers are already celebrating the advent of America’s Internet sales tax.More

Bobblehead promos lead to attendance jumpASI
A new survey by The Wall Street Journal shows that Major League Baseball teams that gave away bobblehead products to fans this year increased their attendance by an average of 4.8 percent on the days of the promotions. In fact, teams like the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds increased their attendance for bobblehead giveaway days by more than 40 percent.More

Bobblehead promos lead to attendance jumpASI
A new survey by The Wall Street Journal shows that Major League Baseball teams that gave away bobblehead products to fans this year increased their attendance by an average of 4.8 percent on the days of the promotions. In fact, teams like the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds increased their attendance for bobblehead giveaway days by more than 40 percent.More

Logo or no go?Wearables
Customer-supplied logos can be a hassle, so here are the five essential steps to getting them fixed up for screen printing. Nothing may be more important to a company than its logo — and yet, when it comes to screen printing, rarely is it handled with care. Customers will provide their logos in a wide array of formats, sizes, and levels of usability, with little guarantee that what you receive is ready to go on the press. More

Tony Hsieh, author and Zappos.com CEO, to keynote PPAI expo 2014Promo Marketing
Promotional Products Association International has announced that Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com and author of "Delivering Happiness," will give the keynote presentation at The PPAI Expo 2014 keynote in Las Vegas, Jan. 13 to 17, 2014, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. More

Yahoo settles on its new logoThe Wall Street Journal
Yahoo took the wrappers off of its new logo recently, picking a design that included thinner lettering with subtle three-dimensional shading. It was the first update to the logo in 18 years, and fear not, the exclamation point is intact. The serifs, though, are gone.More

How to make an app for your small businessPCWorld
Creating your own custom app has never been easier than it is today. Thanks to an abundance of smart frameworks for Web, desktop, and mobile development, anyone with the right mindset, focus, and determination can build cool, data-driven apps for almost any platform. But getting started can be daunting for a would-be coder. More

How your business could boom with a point of sale systemEntrepreneur
Research shows that most small business retailers know so little about point of sale, they'd rather do things the hard way than make a purchasing decision they might regret. In fact, when we recently looked up "Small Business Point of Sale" on Wikipedia, here's what we saw:
"A retail point of sale system typically includes a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display and a barcode scanner, and the majority of retail P.O.S systems also include a debit/credit card reader. It can also include a conveyor belt, weight scale, integrated credit card processing system, a signature capture device and a customer pin pad device..."More

7 P's of social media marketing that drive resultsForbes
Social media is a powerful brand building tool that can drive long-term, organic growth which is sustainable through any micro or macro-environmental threat.
Developing the value of your brand should always be a top strategic priority. Brand value has saved more than one company or product from going under in recent years.More